Disclosed herein are systems and methods for curling the side edges of a sheet of media.
An example of an application for a system for curling the side edges of a sheet of media is a vacuum transport system in a photocopier or other printing device.
In some conventional printing devices, electrostatic, vacuum or other techniques may be used to hold down a sheet against a surface with intimate contact. Sheet curl that is away from the contact surface will prevent intimate contact unless very large hold down forces are applied. A protrusion of the sheet above the surface may cause mechanical or operational interference with adjacent devices. For example, it may prevent the sheet from being transported underneath a printing device that needs to be in close proximity to the sheet surface. Curl produced by a conventional sheet curler can generate curl towards the hold down surface along a single axis that is parallel to the leading and trailing edges. However, along the perpendicular axis (parallel to the side edge), a non-uniform curl may exist. This will cause a saddle like shape, which can cause a curl that is away from the hold down surface, requiring very large hold down forces.